3 Creative Yet Professional Ways to Get Your Next Job Application Noticed

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• November 24, 2014
• By Val Matta
• No Comments

Job opening for your dream job sighted! Cover letter written? Check. Resume tailored? Check. Next step: Find a way to approach the HR manager so your email doesn’t get overlooked, or worse, dragged to the trash can.

There must be a professional, yet interesting way to help you stand out in this inevitably giant pool of applicants.

With multimedia at your fingertips, seize opportunities to bring innovation into your job search endeavors. Approach the hiring manager with these innovative ideas:

1. Film a video to show off your personality

A video is the perfect way to make a great first impression. In a video, you can reveal a side of your personality that a sheet of paper can’t. Hiring managers can see how you present yourself and communicate in 3D.

You can highlight some of your proudest accomplishments, your experience and demonstrate why the company should hire you. Essentially, it’s a video summary of your resume.

When creating your video, try to keep the length at about one minute. Research shows people only watch on average 2.7 minutes of an Internet video.

Besides including the standard info about yourself, use your video as an opportunity to show off your graphic design talents, your editing skills and all that quirkiness that makes you unique.

Place this video in the summary section of all your job search profiles. Share it on social media, and don’t forget to include it in your personal email to hiring managers.

2. Create a PowerPoint to outline your goals

Show hiring managers you’re serious about the job by sharing your goals for joining their company. (Click here to tweet this advice.) You could write you “want to add to the success of the company” in your cover letter, but hiring managers hear that vague expression all the time. This will set you apart because applicants rarely state specific, measurable goals to the hiring manager so early in the hiring process.

Instead of adding these goals as more black-and-white text in your cover letter, create a PowerPoint slideshow of these goals. Keep this in your arsenal to present at your interview.

3. Design a Prezi of your accomplishments

What better way for a hiring manager to learn all about you and your experience than through a fun, interactive presentation? Prezi is different from PowerPoint because it offers options for a non-linear storyline. Thanks to the interactivity of Prezi, you can click anywhere to uncover more info in a visually intriguing way.

In your Prezi, you’ll want to show any educational degrees or certificates, but also cite any positions held in organizations or awards you’ve received. Use concrete facts and numbers to express accomplishments at previous positions. Mention sales, percent increases, company ratings, reviews and new product launches.

You can either embed your Prezi into your initial email to HR, or take it with you to an interview or quick meet-and-greet with the manager.

Any of these innovative introduction tools are unique enough to get you noticed when emailed out or embedded in your profile. Plus, you can use them in your interview to captivate everyone at the company. The next time you reach out to a hiring manager, get creative! Use multimedia to your advantage.

What are a few other fun and innovative ways to approach a hiring manager?

Val Matta is the vice president of business development at CareerShift, a comprehensive job hunting and career management solution for companies, outplacement firms, job seekers and university career centers. Connect with Val and CareerShift on LinkedIn.

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